Email trail documents Tory job overtures to retired general

MONTREAL — Retired lieutenant-general Andrew Leslie engaged in lively discussions with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office about senior positions with the RCMP and a national museum before becoming an adviser to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, according to emails.

The emails were provided to the Toronto Star by the Liberal party Friday after Leslie suggested recent Conservative attacks against him over $72,000 in relocation expenses were retaliation for his having chosen the Liberals over the Tories.

They were intended to prove the Conservatives were interested in the retired general, and that the Tories had no questions about the retired general’s judgment and character before he decided to enlist with Trudeau and company.

Yet the emails leave many questions unanswered, including how serious the retired general, whom the Liberals are touting as one of their star candidates going into next year’s federal election, was about working with the Conservatives, and vice versa.

The emails show Leslie was talking with senior members of Harper’s staff as early as June 2011, several months before he retired from the Canadian Forces.

The first email between Leslie and Harper’s deputy chief of staff, Derek Vanstone, revolved around a possible position heading the Canadian Museum of Civilization, according to the Star. Ultimately that position was given to another candidate, though the emails do not indicate why.

Three months later, after Leslie had left the military, he was again in talks with the government, this time about a leadership position with the RCMP. This time it was Leslie who said he was not interested, writing to Vanstone: “You need somebody who has the passion, and a natural series of friends and allies within the RCMP to help drive the tough changes that are required.”

But Leslie added that if there were no other suitable candidates, “then duty would in, as I would never say no to the PM.” He then proceeded to write that “if you are looking for help with the Canadian Forces — that is something I really have a passion for.”

More conversations followed in April and September of 2012, at which time the retired general was working for a large information and technology company called CGI Group, heading their new defence, public safety and intelligence unit in Ottawa.

The final email shows Leslie and Jenni Byrne, who headed the Conservative party’s 2011 election campaign, setting up a meeting to discuss an unknown subject.

According to the Star, a Liberal source said the Conservatives had suggested Leslie run for the party in the riding of Ottawa-Vanier or nearby Carleton-Mississippi Mills.

Most of the emails refer to offline conversations, the nature and content of which aren’t exactly known.

Leslie’s past relationship with the Harper Conservatives dominated much of the Liberal party convention in Montreal on Friday, with a game of he-said, she-said erupting after the retired general used a speech to Liberal delegates to attack the Tories. Touted as a star candidate for the party, Leslie was given half an hour to address the party faithful, during which time he used his military credentials to launch a broadsided attack on the Conservatives’ management of defence procurement and its treatment of veterans.

But most of the attention was on his response to recent Conservative attacks following revelations last week that taxpayers footed $72,000 in relocation costs and real estate fees for a move within Ottawa upon his retirement in 2012. The Conservatives have latched onto the issue to attack Leslie’s character and judgment, with Defence Minister Rob Nicholson describing the expense claims as “grossly excessive” and “a matter of judgment and the responsible use of taxpayers dollars.”

During his speech, Leslie described the relocation expense claim as part of a “standard package” offered to all military personnel with 20 years of service when they retire. He charged that the Conservative attacks weren’t actually about the relocation program; rather, “this was a partisan attack designed to discourage others like me, or like you, from joining Justin’s team because certain people are frightened by the spirit optimism and hard work.”

At the same time, Leslie said he had talked to a variety of political parties after he left the Canadian Forces, and when he decided to join Trudeau’s team, “one of the other parties didn’t take to this too well.” He said he told the party: “It’s not you, it’s me. But after this week, let’s be honest, it was really them.”

Leslie did not name the party, but the comments were clearly meant to point the finger at the Conservatives.

Shortly afterward, however, Conservative party spokesman Cory Hann sent out a statement to reporters in which he said: “Andrew Leslie approached the Conservative Party of Canada.” Hann did not provide any further information, including when the first approach was made or the nature of those talks.

Leslie danced around questions about his relationship with the Tories during a news conference later in the day, but did not deny that it was he who made the first move.

“Over the course of the last couple of years, depending on what level, people approached me and as you get higher up the food chain, you’re talking to them and you’re approaching them, and it’s a bit of a back and forth,” he told reporters. “Much akin to a dance.”

The controversy threatened to overshadow the Liberal convention Friday, where delegates are fleshing out many of the policies that are expected to form the party’s platform in next year’s federal election. It also raises questions about the process in which star candidates are recruited by parties, which is particularly relevant to the Liberals as they have sought to rebuild with fresh blood and people of substance since their devastating electoral loss in 2011.

Leslie, who made no indications he was planning to return the $72,000, denied he chose the Liberals because they made him a better offer than the Conservatives.

“I’ll tell you what the offer I got from Justin was,” he said. “I can tell you with certainty that I joined the better team and the better man. The promise that Justin made me was no pay and lots of hard work, mainly on weekends.”

He refused to say what other parties he spoke to, though a spokesman for the NDP said he was unaware of any discussions with the retired general.

Leslie joined Trudeau’s Liberals as an adviser on foreign affairs and military matters last September, and is widely expected to seek the Liberal nomination in the Ottawa-Orleans federal riding, which is home to hundreds of military families.

In all, National Defence paid out more than $600,000 to move dozens of generals and admirals between 2008 and 2013, according to records obtained by the CTV News and Global TV. Leslie’s $72,000 expense claim was the largest on a list that also included a $40,000 payment to disgraced former brigadier-general Daniel Menard, and $10,000 to move the officer who was in charge of Canada’s mission to Somalia in 1993, retired brigadier-general Serge Labbe.

Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s office is currently looking at relocation services offered by the federal government, and is expected to report on the issue this coming fall.

The controversy around Leslie’s expense claims have highlighted concerns raised by the Canadian Forces ombudsman and military officials about the heavy financial burden placed on average military personnel and their families when they are transferred to different locations. Some military families have borne up to $80,000 in losses on the sale of their homes after National Defence has told them to relocate.